Boxscore (pdf) 

ESTERO, Fla. (November 25, 2015) – Milwaukee (5-3) used an 18-2 run early in the second half to turn a tie game into a 16-point lead and held on for an 84-78 victory over Central Michigan (2-3) this afternoon in the seventh-place game at the Gulf Coast Showcase. The Panthers shot 51.6 percent (16-for-31) from the field in the second half and limited the Chippewas to just 34.4 percent (11-for-32).
 
"I knew coming in that fatigue was going to be a factor because we had just played two very tough games the last two days," Milwaukee head coach Rob Jeter said. "We really showed some toughness in the second 20 minutes and I couldn't be more proud of the guys. We outhustled Central Michigan to the ball in the second half and that was the difference."
 
Central Michigan jumped out to a quick 12-5 lead before Cody Wichmann scored five points as part of a 7-0 Milwaukee run that reenergized the Panthers and evened the score at 12. Minutes later, a three-pointer by Josh Kozinski was followed by a Braylon Rayson layup that broke a 21-21 tie to give the Chippewas a 26-21 lead and they would go on to take a 35-31 lead into the intermission.
 
The Panthers came out like a team on a mission at the outset of the second half and Akeem Springs scored five straight points to ignite the game-changing, second-half run that turned a 46-46 tie into a 64-48 Milwaukee lead with 8:47 left to play. All told, Springs accounted for nine of the Panthers' 18 points during that spurt, while J.J. Panoske pitched in five.
 
Central Michigan chipped away at the Panthers' lead and after being down 15 with 2:35 remaining, found itself within four points (79-75) with 28 seconds left. However, Milwaukee was able to seal the outcome by knocking down five of its six free throw attempts in the waning seconds to snap a short two-game losing skid.
 
Panoske finished with a season-high 18 points, one shy of matching his career high, and added five rebounds, while Jordan Johnson continued his stellar play, registering a season-best 18 points, 16 of which came in the second period, to go with nine assists. He finished the Gulf Coast Showcase with 31 assists in three games.
 
Springs added 15 points, with 13 of those coming in the second half, while Matt Tiby pitched in 15 points and seven rebounds.
 
Rayshawn Simmons led Central Michigan with 21 points.
 
After playing eight games in the first 13 days of the 2015-16 season, the Panthers will take a much-needed break and resume action December 3 when they host SIU Edwardsville at 6 p.m.